A Trip to the Past
by ShootingStar147
Summary: What happens when a leader of a sub-faction in Scepter 4 is asked about a relationship he has with a member of a rival clan? An interesting tale that goes beyond the politics of it all and into something a bit more deep and personal.
1. Questions

A Trip to the Past

 _5 AM_

Its that habitual time when some people are just early risers and some can stretch it to about 6 if they want to. Its that time of the day that borders on "night/day" for some and for others its just another hour…especially if you have a chronic problem with insomnia virtually NO MATTER WHAT?!

Fortunately…that wasn't HIS problem

His name was Joshua Curtis and he was a member of the elite group known as Scepter 4. Every morning around this time he would wake up without much of an issue and stare off for a minute before he actually got out of bed and started his day which usually meant being at work by 7 to get everything setup before his superior, The 4th King, Captain Reisi Munakata came in around 9. It was one of the things that he always enjoyed about his sleep schedule which might have been odd for some and perfect for him.

Today was going to be an interesting day as he was going to be educating Andy on some things within just basic History and part of that actually was going to deal with the situation with one of the former kings that was killed in the Blue Clan. The rest of the group had the day off but Andy wanted a special session because of that. Joshua was always happy to oblige but he knew also that the kid was going to have something else going on in his head and WHAT he didn't know…at least not yet!

As time passed Joshua got up and went to go grab his shower and a good shave before heading in to work that day. He noticed that his personal appearance was starting to wane a little bit and well that made things just a bit too unsightly for him and if there was one thing he learned from a friend it was that appearances need to be keep proper even for a casual day.

By the time Joshua got shaved and showered it was about 6 AM and just enough time for a cup of coffee and some cereal. He was going to make eggs but thought better of it after the last time when sadly they got a little too burnt and well…who likes to eat that?

When Joshua got ready (and whenever he gets ready) he always has his uniform laid out on his bed with one small accessory but an important one to him. A pin that a friend of his gave him after a meeting that took place after one of the more brutal fights ever! The fact that his friend did what he did FOR HIM was interesting enough and to think about the ramifications that were felt because of it was something that no one could have POSSIBLY seen! Its been a while since the incident and no one from Scepter 4, HOMRA, The Silver Clan or even the Prime Minister asked about it! All he knew was that what happened was a result of a series of events that aggravated and annoyed his friend to his very core and the end result was something that no one dreamed of.

The pin represents more than just an "I'm sorry for what happened" it represents something more to both of them. As a result of the incident Joshua made sure to keep contact with him but because of certain conditions he has had to do it in many ways in private. Its not that he gave a damn about defying anyone because he didn't and this person meant A LOT to him but there were still political issues within the Clans that he was involved in and because of this there was the thought that people would come after him as a defector.

So why then does he wear the pin to work? Because he is loyal for the things that his friend has done for him in time and its because of that he can't NOT show his solidarity! Captain Munakata was actually very receptive of his understudy's determination and looked the other way as do his "Youngbloods". Occasionally he has gotten hell from Akiyama about it but its actually never led to anything between them because of everything his friend has done for him in the past.

Who is this friend that we keep referring to?

Yukari Mishakuji of the JUNGLE clan!

Well…I guess its a bit inaccurate to call him a member of the Clan per se because of what he's done in the past. The trust that Nagare Hisui had in him was shaken after one incident that went unreported and it was only on his own instincts that he did what he did! He went and made damn sure that no FURTHER harm would come to the understudy of the Captain because what these…"outsiders" as he called them did was a disgrace not just to JUNGLE but to other clans as well!

If you asked Yukari would he do it all over again the same way if he knew what would happen between him, Sukuna and Nagare he would say yes and its because he was taught a certain way by his former Sensei in Miwa Ichigen and he stuck to that…well…he has his deviations but in a weird way Josh respected him for it and never challenged him and besides…his issue was never with his friend but always Kuroh.

At this time Mishakuji was sitting meditating and looking across the city landscape from his balcony wonder a few things to himself:

Did he really do right by Ichigen?

What island did he leave himself on because of his actions?

But in a way more important to him

"Did Joshua understand WHY he did what he did in the recent events?"

Their relationship could NEVER be what he wanted. Yukari wanted something from Joshua that Seri actually supplied better. In a way he was jealous of Joshua but never in a really "bad" way. He would support them however he was required even if it pushed him further from the JUNGLE. The friendship that they started after the "incident" in an alley actually brought them closer. It was one of the most bizarre dynamics but yet no one outside of him and Joshua knew the story of the pin and their friendship but to date had never told anyone and not for any kind of fear really but the subject just honestly never came up!

To return the favor Joshua made sure to have a pin made that was a replica of the Scepter 4 log and he gave it to the "Elegant Swordsman" in a kind of ceremony between two close friends. There were some witnesses to it, namely HOMRA, but they kept it quiet only because they didn't know how the Blues would react. It wasn't long ago that JUNGLE was at war with the Red and Blue clan but now there seemed to be something different going on and with the addition of Joshua into the picture a lot more was starting to take shape.

As the day progressed the two friends went about their separate days with Yukari tending to a greenhouse that he had actually started with Joshua some time ago and Joshua had to go to work under another Elegant and studious gentleman named Reisi Munakata. As Joshua got up from his place at the kitchen table of his apartment he went on to work and it was there that he was first greeted by the youngest member of his own clan: "The Youngbloods"

"Ohayo Curtis-Sensei!" Andy called out as he saw his teacher come into work at his usual 7 PM time. Domyouji was the youngest member of the group that also comprised of Ren Gotou, Daiki Fuse and Tatsuya Enomoto. Whilst not part of the group officially Himori Akiyama does join in on some of the classes with them from time to time to learn what he can about different things that Joshua teaches. Its something that made him grateful to have Joshua on board and Akiyama (As well as the rest of the crew) does often refer to Joshua as "Curtis-Sensei" because of how much he teaches them and how much he also learn from them and the others around him.

"Hello Andy and good morning friend! Are you ready for our class today or is there something else you want to go over specifically? I know sometimes you prefer to go off the board so if you want to then just tell me either now or when we go to get started." Joshua explained to his young friend and he knew when he said that he was about to open himself up to questions but he was a very open person so whatever was asked about him he would gladly answer.

"Well" Andy began "Enomoto and Akiyama did want me to ask you about that pin you have." Andy stated as directly as he could and Joshua just smiled. He knew well about how tact wasn't something that Andy was good with but at the same time he knew that it was a subject to be breached at some point so why not now especially on a day when he figured it would be rather slow.

"Very well" Josh started "I'll tell you what we'll do then…let me go get the coffee started and let's get tidied up a little and then we shall do as asked and during said time you can ask me anything you need to about events because my goal is to always be honest with you…alright?" Joshua asked and Andy nodded as they went about their business for the next little while. Joshua knew the time was coming and he was ready to tell Andy and anyone else that was wanting to listen the absolute truth!


	2. Answers

A Trip to the Past

Chapter 2

 _Later that day…_

"Alright Andy" Joshua began "how far back would you like me to go with this history cos its a little bit detailed so I don't want to bore you." He explained and his junior nodded

"Well let's do this then…tell me about the first time you met him without Scepter 4. Can you use that to explain it or do we need to go back further?" Andy asked and Josh shook his head

"That works! It actually was a little while after I got a job working with HOMRA at their bar believe it or not. Kusanagi wanted to start getting some actual customers into the place and he also wanted to get people that didn't drink alcohol to come and for some reason he figured hiring me would help…it did surprisingly because of my reputation with S4." Joshua explained and that kind of shocked Domyouji.

"Okay then that's a good starting point…start from there and let's work our way to the pin." Andy suggested and Josh just nodded…the fun was about to begin

—-

[FLASHBACK]

It was a bright and sunny day and the citizens were out in t-shirts and shorts taking in the beautiful weather. It was about as picture perfect with no clouds in the sky and the sun was shining from the heavens with no issues…it was what some would call (and be right) to be a "Too Perect Day".

Today was Joshua's day off from Scepter 4 and it also happened to be a day when HOMRA was going to be its busiest later. Izumo had called Joshua the night before to see if he could come in to help out after hearing that he was going to have the day off from his "regular job" because he needed someone to serve what he called the "sobers" or "people that didn't get drunk" which he actually didn't mind because it kept the amount of unruly people to a limit which he was grateful for and when Kusanagi asked him to come in he did tell him to bring his sword "Just in case" although he never EVER used it to attack a customer. It was simply to show people that when you decide its a good idea to make an idiot of yourself that he's going to be there to make sure you are dealt with!

Anyways whenever Joshua goes in to work at HOMRA he almost always is a bit more casual. Usually its still a button up shirt with black dress pants and loafers and he almost always wears his glasses in there although when he works the bar he wears shades because of the way the lighting can be in there.

Joshua typically would get to work before the crowd came in and then set up his station or at the very least make sure it was stocked right. He was the only other barkeep but it was known that SOMETIMES Yata would sneak back there and try to take some of the product and he got an earful usually from Kusanagi before his friend came in. Today was going to be a day when things…well they got interesting!

See Josh sometimes does "Civilian Patrol" to double check and see if anyone was around that looked suspicious and if so he always carried his sword with him. This is another reason that he had it but a lot of the times there were people that believed it wasn't needed because the crime had been down lately…problem was and as was the case here Joshua knew a HELL OF A LOT BETTER than to know it wasn't going to be needed!

About 3 blocks down from the bar Joshua spotted a suspicious looking man that had attacked a young lady and taken her belongings and not the least of which was a good chunk of money. What she wanted to do with it wasn't Joshua's concern but the mugger was and he chased the thug into an alley where he had NOWHERE to go!

Problem…Josh was caught napping!

Two other "gentlemen" appeared wearing masks and wielding weapons. The individual he had chased brandished a knife, one had a ball bat and the other a pipe! This almost seemed like out of HOMRA's playbook but the problem was for them they weren't nearly as skilled and Josh took down the first man fairly easily by blocking the knife attack with his sheath and then uppercutting him right on the button under the chin!

1 down…2 to go!

The second was a bit more tricky because he came with a ball bat and looked like he was someone that knew how to swing said item! If it wasn't for the fact that the person looked to have a bit of a gut and a bad attitude you would think he was playing in the Japanese League but instead the fat bastard decided he wanted to use Josh for batting practice and would have had a field day if he didn't try telegraphing where he was going to swing (a problem that the other attacker would also have) and the S4 member defeated him and then before the other gent could get off what he wanted he got an elbow right to his jaw and knocked down!

Not bad for a good day's work right? Take out three thugs and all was well right?

 **WRONG!**

Remember the woman from earlier? Well she snuck up behind Joshua when he wasn't looking and got him in a choke that put him down quick! Even though these are the types of submissions Joshua is well versed in he didn't have the time to counter it because his back was to the wall that the woman came from but interestingly she didn't order the men to KILL Joshua but instead she wanted them to "damage him" in body and mind. The belief would be if there was enough doubt in Joshua's mind after being beaten this badly by not just the woman but the recovered thugs that he would not want to do the job anymore.

There was just one SMALL problem for them!

"Well well well if it isn't Hitomi and her little lapdogs. I thought you were told to not ever try to court favor with JUNGLE and certainly not with me. Your tactics are nothing short of ugly and the sight of you makes me ill!" An individual with long flowing purple hair and wearing a black trenchcoat said as he looked on at the group and Hitomi seemed PISSED!

"Yukari this has NOTHING to do with you! You know that this person deserves to die as much as everyone else that he works with! Why don't YOU bow out gracefully and let us handle this for JUNGLE or didn't your former Sensei teach you properly?" Hitomi yelled BUT there was a problem: You DO NOT invoke the name of Ichigen and make Yukari angry. While to him anger was never "beautiful" there are times when even he knew it was necessary and he made it known by beating the hell out of the two men that were left between him and the witch that was in front of him and he even went so far as to leave a marker for her by killing one of the thugs in front of her!

The point was made…it was time for Hitomi to leave for now but she knew she would be back!

This leaves one problem: What would Yukari do with a wounded member from Scepter 4?

"Joshua-Chan" Yukari began "what are we going to do with you? Its not wise to go into a fight like this alone and nor is it like you to do this without a backup plan. What would have happened if I wasn't around hmm? Would you have become a broken man that was beyond repair?" Yukari asked Joshua but it was in more of a taunting manner. He also knew that the condition Josh was in was not one where he could really answer him and that made the JUNGLE member a little sad but why? What was it about Joshua that drew him towards the rival clansmen?

There was no time for answering that as Yukari could hear the sirens coming and he decided it was in his best interest to take Joshua to his place and figure out what to do then. One thing was for certain…someone that WANTED to be in the Green Clan was in need of a receipt and he was DAMN SURE going to help Joshua get it even if it caused him the be forced out of the clan

There was literally no "Beauty" in what had happened in his mind and he was going to make sure that Nagare and Tenkei learned that the hard way!

[END FLASHBACK]

—–

"So that is why you didn't come back to your apartment? Cos I remember that Kusanagi, Seri and the Captain called your apartment to see what happened when you didn't show up for work that day. Its know you can be a hothead and a loner but we didn't know that happened cos no one mentioned it after the fact!" Domyouji exclaimed and Josh sighed

"I didn't mean to worry Awashima-kun. I did apologize later but we are putting the cart well before the horse to get there. I guess you want to know next about how Yukari really knew me despite us never having an "encounter" before right?" Josh asked but surprisingly Andy shook his head

"No Senpai." Andy answered "What I am more curious about is what it was like being taken to his place? Surely that had to be a shock to wake up in a place you had no idea about right?" Andy asked and Joshua nodded but the next part was even more shocking

"What I learned when I woke up was I had bandages all over my body from the attack. Yukari saw fit to make sure that I was taken care of physically BUT that's not all…" Joshua trailed off waiting to see if Andy picked up

"He was worried about your psyche too? Are we talking about the same guy?" Andy asked quizzically

"I wanted to ask that question myself but Yukari was legitimately worried that if I left his place that because of my 'damage' that I was going to become 'worthless' against JUNGLE which you would think he would want but he didn't. He made sure I got a proper amount of bed rest and he actually got me to do some exercises with him also. Not just physical ones but he wanted me to do some of his Yoga exercises when my body healed properly. It was the strangest thing I could ever explain to you trust me!" Joshua exclaimed and now Andy was really puzzled…who the hell was Yukari Mishakuji?

"There was a rumor that one of your uniforms went missing from your apartment at the time you went missing…truth or no?" Andy asked almost already KNOWING the answer but Joshua just smiled as he answered

"That was Yukari. He thought that when I knew my mind was right I was just going to up and leave and return to Scepter 4 so he made sure to get my uniform ready for me to go back. The thing was I stayed a few more days and he willingly provided me some extra clothes that fit surprisingly well! Must have been all that Yoga and stuff we did together." Joshua explained and now Andy was really intrigued not just by this but by their dynamic and how many more parts and layers were there to it! Andy knew he had free reign to ask whatever he wanted and there was one question that was on his mind

"Did he ever try to…"

"Confess his love…yes he did!" Joshua finished and Andy was surprised at how honest Josh was about it but he was even more surprised by Josh's continuation. "I might have spent about 2 weeks on official record there but in that two weeks I saw a side of Mishakuji that very few other people get the chance to. He has a very warm and playful side and he taught me a lot of things that I now take with me. When he confessed that he felt he was in love with me I had to explain to him that it wouldn't work or at least not in the way he wanted. My devotion is to Lt. Awashima and I cherish her but my time with Yukari at his place was actually a lot of fun and he taught me a lot about beauty and one thing we both knew but it was reinforced after our time was that 'Beauty is only skin deep' and it doesn't matter how 'Beautiful' you THINK you look if you have ugly thoughts and an ugly heart. Its why when I was free to go after I was 'properly healed' I stayed longer to make sure that HE was fine. I only left that apartment a few times and one was to get some food for us and he actually taught me about that too! He taught me that sometimes eating junk can feel like you are poisoning your mind, body and soul and its something I take with me now. Do you understand what I did while I was there now?" Josh asked and his Junior nodded before speaking

"So how did the pin come into play?" Andy asked and Josh knew that it was only right to explain that

"Yukari wanted to do something special as a symbol of our personal bond between clansmen so he had this pin which is a tiny flower made for me and he personally put it on me in front of the HOMRA crew when I returned to work there. It was a LITTLE embarrassing but I understood why and he understood why I gave him the pin I did which represented us…Scepter 4 because make no mistake this is home for me and I have since apologized to Captain Munakata for worrying him and my beloved Lieutenant for not calling her when I went missing. That was under Yukari's orders because he felt that with the state I was in at the time that I wouldn't be right to talk to her and there was a degree of truth to that. I had just gotten the hell kicked out of me and I wanted to get my body rested…worrying her with me on the phone wasn't gonna do anyone any favors but it did give me a chance at reflection which I am grateful for. He's a very important part of my life and I don't forget that." Joshua told his friend and as he did he froze for a second and then bolted for the staircase that would lead out to the main entrance…WHY?!

At the bottom of the staircase was his answer…

Yukari was standing there no longer in his usual trenchcoat and attire but now in a black suit and tie, dress slacks and Alligators (because he wouldn't be the man he is if he didn't have something to stand out). In his hand was a bouquet of flowers and his usual long, flowing hair had now been cut to a shorter length…this was a shock!

"Yukari I…welcome to the HQ my friend!" Joshua exclaimed as he ran down the stairs to meet his friend face to face and the former JUNGLE Associate just smiled

"Its always a pleasure Joshua….how did you know I was here?" He asked but Yukari knew…Joshua has a way of sensing his presence and whenever he is around its almost always a good thing. Outside of two skirmishes during situations involving JUNGLE and Scepter 4 before they became friends his presence was always a highlight

"Well look at you all dressed up and hair cut…never thought I'd see that but its welcome! Why did you change all of a sudden friend?" Joshua asked but the answer he got was an interesting one

"Ever since the problems have seemingly ended between all the clans I decided to go and start changing things. One thing I wanted to change was my appearance a little and I wanted to thank you for that. You helped me shape my personality since you stayed with me months ago and it feels like its been years! I had to go and start to change my outlook on life so when I left home I went and decided a makeover was in order! I still keep our greenhouse in order though and most importantly I still worry about you stretching yourself too thin! You aren't still working the late hours are you?" He asked all concerned and Joshua shook his head and smiled

"I learned what happens when I work some stupid shifts around here day after day and even Munakata agreed. He felt that I was pushing myself too hard and I needed to make sure that I was fit physically and mentally. I didn't tell him that you helped me spiritually as well but well…" Joshua blushed a brief scarlet before noticing the flowers "Who are the flowers for friend?" Joshua asked as if he didn't already know

"Why who else would they be for but for one of the best friends I have ever made in my life. You are someone that I will always care about Joshua and I want you to know that. You are ALWAYS welcome to come for a visit or a stay and if you ever need a recharge I am but a phone call and a bus ride away. Know that you are a special person and I will never forget that." Mishakuji replied and Joshua just smiled, took the flowers and placed them on the step beside him for a second before speaking

"Words can not express how that made me feel friend…so there is one way for me to do it proper…" Joshua trailed off and tightly embraced the man that helped him through a period that, while it was brief, if it wasn't for Yukari Mishakuji and his help Joshua wouldn't be there right then and there and even though it briefly shocked him Yukari was quick to return the embrace because he knew for Joshua this was something that meant A LOT to him and the next thing that happened was even more important for his friend

He kissed him

Not on the lips but rather on the cheek and they both knew why he did that:

Joshua once told him that a kiss on the lips is for the person that you love as more than "just a friend" but it was a sign of devotion and more. Joshua knew that his true feelings for Seri were as a couple but Yukari was still special to him. He just needed to do this to prove it to both of them how important their bond was!

After this moment Joshua picked up the flowers carefully and bowed graciously to his friend. Yukari Mishakuji was something special alright

He was the man that fixed a broken soldier!


End file.
